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the recent thread about the tentwing makes me wonder about a half and half - bridge the shoulder end but don't bridge the foot end (or still a bridge, but the foot end designed to not use a spreader bar). could even encorporate a HH style entrance on the foot end and still have the comfort of a bridge.

might be worth a try.

So I had my DMB out tonight, doing a bit of a shake-down before heading out for the trail next week. I remembered this conversation, and so yanked the spreader bar from the foot end. Otherwise left everything the same as when I'm up in full blown bridge mode.

It wasn't bad at all. Two things of particular note. On the positive side, the hammock was far far less "tippy" as I move around. On the negative side, the hammock isn't flat down by the knees and legs, and there's the same sort of hyper-extension as you can get with a gathered end hammock. I think that would be solved easily enough with a pillow or something under the knees. With the wide space up by the shoulders, and adequate space around the hips, this could be quite a viable way to sleep on your back. Not so good for the side or stomach though.

I tried the same thing today and found much the same but with one added thing unique to me I suspect. Last night I almost got trapped in the gathered mode because I couldn't get out. Thought I was gonna have to stay there till my wife left for work early. But I did manage to roll out with great difficulty and absolutely no grace. I had an easier time getting out of the mixed hybrid. So I suspect I would try this option more often when I play with switching out of bridge mode.

I may be slow... But I sure am gimpy.

"Bless you child, when you set out to thread a needle don't hold the thread still and fetch the needle up to it; hold the needle still and poke the thread at it; that's the way a woman most always does, but a man always does t'other way."
Mrs. Loftus to Huck Finn

I tried the same thing today and found much the same but with one added thing unique to me I suspect. Last night I almost got trapped in the gathered mode because I couldn't get out. Thought I was gonna have to stay there till my wife left for work early. But I did manage to roll out with great difficulty and absolutely no grace. I had an easier time getting out of the mixed hybrid. So I suspect I would try this option more often when I play with switching out of bridge mode.

ah ha! But be careful not to accidentally knock out that one remaining spreader bar...you'll have a very difficult time getting out then.

Tip coupler for tent pole spreader bar

For the last couple of bridge hammocks I made, I slipped the tip end of the tent pole spreader bar between two pieces of cord that tighten together under load. The length of the gap between the two pieces of cord is 2 or 3 inches by design, to allow me the generality of using a hiking pole or some other spreader than the tent pole. The ingenious pockets that others have come up are great for their individual types of poles, but I still hope for generality.

While no pole has ever slipped its mooring when I'm in the hammock, I've always been mighty cautious getting in to not jostle the poles loose. They have jostled loose when not under load.

I had my hammock at a picnic this weekend, gathered a small crowd who were curious about it, and had some folks getting in and out of it. I'd advise them to be gentle, and most were, but my heart about stopped when a big guy, maybe 250 lbs, just dropped BOOM into the hammock. Well the poles held and the tips stayed put and the two bodies of 1 oz fabric held up so all was well. But I knew it was time to make the poles a little more secure.

Turns out just a small bit of cord does the job. I'm using LashIt here, really strong, really small, really light. Perfect for the job.

So, a small loop tied around the pair of cords that trap the pole tip.

Then I push the end of the loop up where the tip will go, getting ready to slip the pole tip into that loop and between the two cords.

Spreaders as trekkers

I have been following with great interest the development ideas that Grizz has shared. I went ahead and ordered the very same poles from Quest that Grizz is using as his spreader bars.

I have made an UL Bridge and was able to eliminate awkward attachment hardware that typical trekking poles seem to require when ulilized for spreader bars on a bridge. I REALLY like the poles, but long for multi-use functionality.

Today when rummaging through my garage. I noticed some plastic oars from an inflatable raft that no longer exists. The sections screw together with a plastic fitting about 4" long ( it weighs .7 ounces). It seems the end of the Quest aluminum pole fits snugly into the fitting. Cool!

My plan is to cut a section of the oar in half. Screw the threaded end into the plastic coupler, and use this assemblage as a handle for a DIY trekking pole. I may look for adhesive cork strips (like the kind on the back of a straight edge), to make the grips more comfortable.

I still am working on a tip end attachment. But, I believe I will be able to make functional hiking poles from the Quest aluminum poles at no weight gain over my current hiking poles. Then, of course, I'll be able to reconfigure them for their originally intended purpose as spreader bars when setting up the hammock in ther evening.

Thanks for giving me the idea. So here I'll give it back to you with my thoughts added. Cheers.

So I had my DMB out tonight, doing a bit of a shake-down before heading out for the trail next week. I remembered this conversation, and so yanked the spreader bar from the foot end. Otherwise left everything the same as when I'm up in full blown bridge mode.

It wasn't bad at all. Two things of particular note. On the positive side, the hammock was far far less "tippy" as I move around. On the negative side, the hammock isn't flat down by the knees and legs, and there's the same sort of hyper-extension as you can get with a gathered end hammock. I think that would be solved easily enough with a pillow or something under the knees. With the wide space up by the shoulders, and adequate space around the hips, this could be quite a viable way to sleep on your back. Not so good for the side or stomach though.

Grizz

I was intrigued by this and so I pulled the spreader off the foot end. It isn't that bad but I think it would be better to have some spread. So I took one 18" of the .625 pole and put it in there. I think that's a nice compromise and should be fine. I'll sleep in it tonight and see if it's any less comfortable. this will be nice keep that width down to prevent tarp issues and you can save a little weight.

Grizz, I have a question about the suspension system.
I'm wondering if you could combine the two systems.
If you extended the rope or webbing all the way to the ends of the 'big' rectangle' couldn't use just use it for the suspension?
I'm not sure if that's clear....
In the article you have gathered mode and bridge mode. The bridge mode uses separate lines to attach to the tree. What if you used the gathered mode as the upper suspension lines?
It seems to me that you could hang it gathered mode as per usual. If you wanted to do bridge, you'd hang it gathered mode, then pop in the spreaders. This would raise the hammock body up some so readjustment at the trees might be necessary.
Did you ever give this a whirl?
I'm obviously concocting for another bridge....

I was intrigued by this and so I pulled the spreader off the foot end. It isn't that bad but I think it would be better to have some spread. So I took one 18" of the .625 pole and put it in there. I think that's a nice compromise and should be fine. I'll sleep in it tonight and see if it's any less comfortable. this will be nice keep that width down to prevent tarp issues and you can save a little weight.

If you will look at section 2 of my Bridge Hammock article, you will see that I have been using and advising the use of a shorter spreader bar for the feet all along.

Helps a lot in stability. Also, less interference with the tarp. I tried to eliminate the foot end spreader bar, but, for myself, found that my feet were then squeezed together and I found that uncomfortable.

I was intrigued by this and so I pulled the spreader off the foot end. It isn't that bad but I think it would be better to have some spread. So I took one 18" of the .625 pole and put it in there. I think that's a nice compromise and should be fine. I'll sleep in it tonight and see if it's any less comfortable. this will be nice keep that width down to prevent tarp issues and you can save a little weight.

I was intrigued by the phenomena of radical width reduction at the foot end also, and my current prototype under testing is cut to support this. I imagine the transformation of a parabola section at height 17" and 36" wide at that height, narrowing over the space of 7' to a height of 17" and 18" wide. The arc lengths of the parabolas along this transformation gave me a shape to cut, approximated by a trapezoid, and I added material for a suspension curve on the long edges. I also cut the suspension at 7' long rather than my more typical 6.5' to give a little more room down in the foot area, and I have more material past the head spreader bar that lets me scoot so that the spreader bar is above my neck, or even shoulders, if I like.

So I've hung without a foot spreader at all, and with one with 18". The latter case is just fine, I'll have to try sleeping without a spreader bar at all to see how that goes. It's trivial to use a trail stick to serve as the spreader at the foot, so there is definitely a weight advantage from no pole there, as well as less material.